Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Honda Pilot owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2013 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that the fog lights and exterior lights became inoperable. The contact noticed there was rust underneath the hood. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact also needed to add additional power steering fluid three times per week. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the power steering gear box, power steering lines, water lines and hoses needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the power steering reservoir, power steering cooling lines, power steering line rem pump, and power steering pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 177,000.
The factory clear coat and paint on the roof of this 2013 Honda Pilot are delaminating and peeling away from the metal. The failure began about 1.5 years ago and continues to spread; in places it has now progressed through the paint to bare metal that is corroding and rusting. The vertical body panels remain glossy and intact while the entire horizontal roof has failed - a top-down failure pattern consistent with a defective factory finish rather than wear or environmental exposure. This matches a well-documented paint-adhesion defect in Honda vehicles of this generation: Honda issued warranty-extension service bulletin 19-057 for 2013-16 Pilots in White Diamond Pearl after identical roof peeling, a companion bulletin covers other white finishes, and an active class-action lawsuit alleges the same peeling and delaminating paint defect across 2013-and-later Honda and Acura vehicles. …
Paint bubbling up all over vehicle.Roof,hood,rear tail gate,doors and paint peeling off. Had same problem between windshield and roof and American Honda repaired it.Now entire car is bubbling and paint peeling off.
Paint peeling on my 2013 Honda Pilot - passenger side roof between moon roof and front windshield. Paint color is the white pearl. Seeing many reports of paint issues with this type of vehicle and paint color.
I purchased the vehicle and in May 2023 I noticed a small bubble on the paint on the roof of the car near the windshield on the left, above the driver's side. I went to the closest Honda Dealer and the gentleman at the shop dismissed me saying the car's warranty was expired. A few months later, the bubble popped and a part of the paint peeled off. I called the dealer Arlington Honda and was told by a manager Jeremy Hardman to take my car to one of 2 Autobody shops he provided me with for inspection. I went to Schaumburg Autobody who inspected the vehicle and found more affected areas behind the sunroof. They determined it to be defective sealer that is not adhearing to the metal. I sent an email to Jeremy Hardman and called that Honda dealer I was told Jeremy no longer works at that dealer and transferred me elsewhere. I was told to contact Honda Corporate. …
I purchased my third Honda, a 2013 Honda Pilot in 2017 from my local Honda dealership. In 2019, I received a recall notice from American Honda stating that we could have the cost of repainting our recalled vehicles covered if we had damage. At that time, I did not have any issues with the paint on my Pilot. Well, a couple weeks ago, a huge amount of paint on my roof was missing all of a sudden. I contacted American Honda as it stated on the recall notice and was told the recall period and my warranty had expired. Nevertheless, I was told a claim was opened on my behalf and that I needed to take the car to my local Honda dealership for a diagnosis. I was then sent to an authorized body shop for an estimate. …
Complaints involving paint peel from Honda Pilot recall. Vehicle paint is peeling at roof line common to where windshield install and sunroof install. Quality of paint is not issue. Manufacturing process is the issue. Most likely a result of poor workmanship due to preparation of metal prior to application of paint either manually or electrostatic application. Will request full repaint of vehicle from dealership at manufacture expense. Vehicle is garaged in 70-75 degree environment and is driven typical miles for age of vehicle. No known external issue such as chemical spill hail or other damage has occurred on area of concern or any other area. Original owner of vehicle. Bought new from excellent dealership. Dealership has done 100% of all maintenance and repairs including tire replacement, tune ups, etc.
On 2018, the paint on the roof began to peel in chunks between the windshield and moonroof. Additionally, the whole body paint began to fade regardless of how often it was washed and waxed. The issue was brought up to a local dealer and they were only willing to paint the roof and side because it was the only thing that had been identified as a vehicle recall matter. The roof has been fixed but now the car looks awkward as one portion is very shiny while the rest looks horribly faded. The rest of the paint has only become worse as the time progressed. Why isn't anyone at Honda corporate not fixing this? It is a known quality defect and no fix is being done. I asked a body shop for a quote to see how much it would be to paint the rest of the vehicle. $8000.00 to fix the issue!!!
2013 Honda Pilot with only 31K miles and paint is peeling off. Honda issues a TSB bulletin and are covering roofs and tailgates that are peeling. So they have admitted there is a paint defect but the problem is its the same paint/primer used all over the car. Mine is peeling at to of back door and around front and back window. I know it's only going to get worse. Body shop said they've seen a good deal of white hondas with this same issue and said there is obvious defect in primer causing paint adherence issues. They are 1500 people on a facebook page that have the same issue also. How can Honda continue to get away with treating customers this way. This is my 4th Honda but its looking like my last unless Honda steps up and does the right thing!!!
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 Honda Pilot. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the front driver's side sun visor failed to remain in the up position causing a visibility hazard to the driver. The contact indicated that a plastic part used to secure the visor in the up position had cracked causing the failure. The local dealer Honda of pasadena located at 1965 e foothill blvd, pasadena, ca 91107 and the manufacturer were notified of the failure but, no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 55,000.
Body complaints in other Pilot years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2013 Honda Pilot?
NHTSA has 47 complaints about the body & structure of the 2013 Honda Pilot, 17% of the model year's 271 complaints. The component named most often is body (42 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2013 Honda Pilot body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2013 Honda Pilot, though it has 6 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2013 Honda Pilot body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 20% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.